Henry Sibley SADD and Law Enforcement Stage Mock Car Crash

A bottle of tequila, a texting driver and some post-prom carousing were the ingredients in a mock tragedy performed Wednesday night by Henry Sibley High School Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) students at the Western Service Center in West St. Paul.

"Drunk driving, plain and simple, kills and cripples more people than any other crime in this country," said Dakota County AttorneyJames Backstrom. "And in the world we live in today, it's not just drunk driving, it's distracted driving too. It's using these cell phones and texting when you're behind the wheel of a car too."

The depiction of two deaths from an auto accident and the response from law enforcement, fire, medical and eventually, the mortuary, was graphic in nature. But it provided a realistic presentation of the worst that can happen from a few careless decisions behind the wheel.

"My mom really wanted to drill into our heads that this is life. This is not a joke," said Henry Sibley student Selena Murphy of why she attended with her siblings. The presentation left a powerful impact on Murphy. "It's shocking. I'm speechless."

That impression is exactly why these events are important, said Mendota Heights Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener.

"You get the same reaction every time. .. Everybody yuckin' it up. Typical goofy kids. The second it starts, you can hear a pin drop," said Aschenbrener. "You get their total attention and it's something they can relate to. It's something they can understand. They can touch, feel and see. Then they go home and tell their parents about it."

This is the third time a mock car crash has been presented to the community, not just to students at a school, and Aschenbrener said the feedback from the adults is always positive.

The mock car crash happens once a year, and now rotates through , , and the open-community format.